Cole Palmer wakes Chelsea before Garnacho snoozes at the death…

Chelsea may have 427 attackers on their books. But here was proof, not that it was needed, that a half-fit Cole Palmer remains the Blues most dangerous threat by far.

Palmer was named on the bench at Brentford on Saturday night the day after Enzo Maresca suggested that he might once again be missing with the groin injury sustained in the warm-up at West Ham. Chelsea didn’t need him there. You don’t need much to get a result at West Ham these days. But they could not do without him in the last of their four London derbies to conclude an oddly-local start to the season.

Brentford deserve much of the credit for forcing Maresca to make the substitution he would really rather not have. Palmer trained for the first time in three weeks on Thursday, and even then, only partially. If he were to be used tonight, it was going to be because Chelsea were flailing.

And they were. It took them 42 minutes to register a shot on target and the closest they came in a disjointed first half was Enzo Fernandez’s corner that hit the outside of the front post.

In Palmer’s position was Facundo Buonanotte. Perhaps by way of an apology on Maresca’s part for spoiling his new recruit’s Champions League dreams. Buonanotte looked eager but rarely threatening. He was one of three half-time changes by Maresca. Drastic? Yes. But not surprising.

By that point, Chelsea trailed to a brilliant Brentford goal. The move showcased all the determination and quality Keith Andrews needs his unfancied side to show if they are to prove their many doubters wrong.

It began with a superb defensive header on the edge of his own six-yard box by Michael Kayode. The Bees were first to the next two balls, with Igor Thiago’s graft especially notable, before their quality shone. Matias Jensen found Jordan Henderson with a lovely reverse pass for their skipper to then play one of the passes of the season so far, half the length of the pitch in behind Tosin Adarabioyo for Kevin Schade to run on to. The Bees forward pushed Tosin back before squaring up the defender and firing through his legs.

The triple change did little to spark Chelsea. Only when Palmer replaced Jamie Gittens did Brentford’s defensive foundation begin to creak.

Palmer immediately began to roam, as he did five minutes after his introduction. He came deep, taking a four-yard pass from Fernandez before popping it off to Tyrique George. Three passes and Joao Pedro’s knockdown later, Palmer was stepping on to the loose ball to stroke a half-volley around Brentford bodies into the bottom corner.

As with most things Palmer does, he made a difficult finish look ridiculously simple.

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With their talisman pulling strings, Chelsea got the bit between their teeth. Palmer ought to have scored from Pedro Neto’s pull-back – his finish wasn’t bad but the save from Caoimhin Kelleher was outstanding. Kelleher also denied George with another low dive to his right.

The Brentford keeper could do nothing about the goal that appeared to break the hosts’ resistance. Kelleher and a couple of clones wouldn’t have kept out Moises Caicedo’s thunderb*stard.

Palmer was pivotal again. He dropped deep to feed Alejandro Garnacho on the left. The last of the Chelsea substitutions sought to return the ball to Palmer, failing to find his target but the England star’s presence attracted a swarm of Bees and prompted a panicked half-clearance. By the time Caicedo took a touch, and another, none of the seven Brentford players between the midfielder and the goal could get to the edge of the box in time to stop one of the cleanest strikes we’ve seen so far this season.

Garnacho thoroughly enjoyed his assist of sorts with his new team-mates and the travelling supporters in the corner of the Gtech Community Stadium. Perhaps the ex-Manchester United winger was still patting himself on the back when he ought to have been tracking Fabio Carvalho three minutes into added time.

Brentford’s most obvious threat comes from their long, long throws. Chelsea escaped when Schade’s missile almost went all the way through, but it was a warning they failed to heed. This time, Kristoffer Ajer made the first contact, despite being surrounded by Blues. Carvalho was not, Garnacho having dozed off, allowing the 90th-minute substitute to side-foot home a leveller to ruin Maresca’s Saturday night. For which he presumably has plans, if his touchline clobber is any indication.

Maresca, though, should be tucking Palmer into bed before a big week when Chelsea finally get out of London, first to Munich to face Bayern on Wednesday before going to Manchester United next Saturday evening.